Large population studies of fine particulate air pollution have shown a link with heart disease, but for practical reasons they have not included direct assessment of biochemical risk factors or personal exposures. In this Exploratory/Developmental Research application we develop the methodology to collect blood samples and recruit study participants from a national cohort of unionized trucking company workers who have regular occupational exposures to fine particulate matter (PM) from motor vehicle exhaust. With the cooperation of the Teamsters we propose to assess the rate that unionized trucking company workers agree to provide a blood sample and complete a health questionnaire for a health study. Phlebotomy and study recruitment sites will be located in Teamster union halls near large trucking terminals in Chicago, IL and Carlisle, PA that employ 3,481 workers. The demographics and exposure distribution of subjects who provide a blood sample will be compared to workers who do not provide a blood sample. This strategy of locating phlebotomy centers in Union halls will be compared to the results from a companion study where another group of Teamsters are recruited by mail and requested to provide a blood sample by overnight mail using a blood collection kit. Preliminary information regarding the relationship between combustion particle exposures (based on job title and terminal location) and blood markers of inflammation that include C-reactive protein (CRP, measured using a high sensitivity assay), fibrinogen, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and markers of vascular endothelial activation and inflammation (soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (slCAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1)) will be obtained. Cross-sectional relationships between combustion particle exposures, blood markers of inflammation, and concentrations of 1,2-naphthoquinone and 1,4- naphthoquinone albumin adducts, specific biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) will be assessed. This approach will offer the possibility of prospective personal monitoring for a large population, greatly increasing the power to detect health effects and link them to personal risk factors and exposure to motor vehicle exhaust. The results from the proposed exploratory and developmental study will aid us in designing a prospective study to determine the relationship between PM exposures from motor vehicles and cardiovascular disease. This is of public health importance because large segments of the general US population have exposures to fine particles similar to trucking company worker exposures. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]